


If I Knew It Was You I Would Have Kissed You Sooner

by Nova_Cain



Series: Adventures in Soul Switching [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Feelings, Identity Reveal, Marichat, Soulmate AU, Will edit later, aaaaaaaaaa, arrrrgh, balcony scenes, everyone has unrequited crushes, oh my god what am i doing with myself, posting this at 3am, rn i just wanna post and then SLEEP, slowburn, soulmates switch bodies on their eighteenth birthday
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-26
Updated: 2018-06-26
Packaged: 2019-05-28 21:20:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15058034
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nova_Cain/pseuds/Nova_Cain
Summary: On a person's eighteenth birthday, they experience what is known as a Soul Switch, where they switch bodies with their soulmate for a full day... if they have one.Marinette's Switch is one month away, and she wants to finally confess her feelings to Adrien before it happens. Chat steps up as an unexpected (but very capable) romance coach, eager to help his friend find love with her anonymous crush.When they end up Soul Switching with unexpected soulmates, they wonder if the universe somehow got it wrong... or maybe it's throwing massive identity hints at two of the most oblivious superheros in Paris.





	If I Knew It Was You I Would Have Kissed You Sooner

**Author's Note:**

> Unbeta'd, fresh off the 3am press and I'm regretting being awake right now. Read and enjoy at your own peril.
> 
> Probably gonna re-title it later when I have more mental power.

Alya skidded to a stop next to Marinette’s locker, half out of breath and with a giant grin on her face.

“Hey Alya, didn’t see you this morning. What’s up?” Marinette asked, knowing from Alya’s look that she had snagged a story and was dying to share it. If it made her late enough to have to run to school, Marinette figured it had to be worth hearing.

Alya took a moment to catch her breath as she got her locker open, her face glowing from the impromptu exercise.

“Did you hear? Looks like Kim and Chloe switched bodies over the weekend! I’ve never seen them so in love before, it’s almost disgusting.” She burst into a fit of giggles at Marinette’s surprised look.

“Well I’m happy for them!” Marinette said decidedly. “You know how tense it gets for couples before their Switch.” Alya groaned and nodded. This semester alone they’d seen enough ugly breakups because of soulmate matches to last for the rest of their lives, and most of their classmates still haven’t had their eighteenth birthday yet.

“I never thought I’d _not_ look forward to turning eighteen...” Alya grumbled.

“Good thing your birthday isn’t till next semester then!” Marinette chirped. “You still have some time to brace.”

“I have time to _worry_ , you mean.” Alya closed her locker and fiddled with the lock, waiting for Marinette to finish grabbing her textbooks. “And what about you? Your birthday is next month… you excited?”

“About that--” Marinette went silent before waving giddily at someone behind Alya, and her best friend didn’t need to turn around to know it was directed at one Adrien Agreste. The model greeted them both with a friendly wave and bright grin as he passed by. Alya returned the greeting, and watched as he followed Nino out of the locker room. When she turned back to Marinette, her friend was wearing a determined look that was all too familiar. Alya swallowed a sigh; she knew exactly where this was heading. And she had seen where it lead, each and every time for the past three years.

“I’m gonna tell him, Alya.”

Alya cocked a hip and an eyebrow, giving Marinette a disbelieving stare.

“Right now?” She gave a pointed look at the door he had just passed through for emphasis, hoping against hope that Marinette would prove her wrong and walk right out of the locker room and just _tell the guy_ , instead of following the same heart-sore script Marinette had written for herself since day one.

“No! Soon. _Really_ soon,” Marinette amended as Alya’s eyebrows kept climbing. She started fiddling with the ends of her pigtails. It was almost unfair how she managed to keep the signature look and make it fashionable, even all these years later. “We’ve been friends for a while now--”

 _Roughly three years,_ Alya thought.

“-- and things are finally normal…”

_Very normal! Very stable!_

“... and I’d just like to see if I can take it a step further.”

Alya approved of the sentiment, but was almost shocked to find there was a part of herself that had stopped believing in Marinette’s ability to act on it. It wasn’t until Marinette’s face fell that Alya realized she’d been shaking her head a bit.

“What, you don’t approve?” Marinette asked quietly.

Alya suddenly wanted to kick herself. Marinette already had so much self doubt, she didn’t need her _best friend_ to add to it. And what kind of best friend could she claim to be if she wasn’t supporting Marinette in her quest for true love?

“No! No no no trust me, I do.” Alya tucked her books under her arm and took Marinette’s hands, giving them a gentle squeeze that brought the beginnings of Marinette’s smile back. “You’d be a great couple! And I know how you’ve been crushing on him since _forever_.”

“But…?” Marinette asked, hearing the unspoken word on Alya’s tongue.

“But… It’s just so close to your Switch… what if you don’t get him?” Alya looked down at their joined hands. She couldn’t meet her best friend’s eyes as she finally posed the question that had been secretly gnawing at her for the last year: “What if he isn’t your soulmate?”

She looked back up to find Marinette staring at her, face drawn. Alya went into a silent panic, thinking _oh god, oh no I fucked up, I said the wrong thing, this is bad bad bad bad---_

Then Marinette squeezed her hands back and forced a smile, letting Alya know everything was okay between them.

“Well, then at least I’ll get some closure.”

As they headed for class together, Alya couldn’t help but feel that she’d handed Marinette more questions and doubts than she’d help settle.

 

~oOo~

 

“Is my Princess unwell?” A familiar voice asked from behind her. Marinette’s lips quirked into a smile despite her low mood, which started to lift as she heard him join her on the balcony. Her civilian self and the leather clad hero of Paris had grown closer the last few years, close enough for him to tell not just when she was needing a pick-me-up, but also what qualified as one. As she felt his gloved hands gently card through her loose hair, alternating between massaging her scalp and scratching here and there with his claws, she let herself relax against the railing. Chat stepped into view and leaned against the ironwork next to her, his left arm supporting his weight as his right continued its good work.

“Just a bit of a downer day, kitty.” Marinette sighed and turned towards him, but pressed her head against his hand to show she appreciate the petting session. He got the hint and moved his hand to the back of her neck, his fingers sliding up into her hair before dragging back downwards in a way that made her shiver and hum. She decided not to think too hard on the fact that he remembered her favorite spot and was now wearing a self-satisfied grin at his handiwork. She’ll let him have this confidence boost. Lord knew people needed that sort of thing…

 

“Princess?”

 

His worried tone snapped her back to the present, and she realized she had been glaring into the middle space without moving.

“What?” she asked, suddenly defensive for no good reason. The concern in his eyes just made her more self-conscious at being read so easily, and the way his hand stilled, resting on the back of her neck was putting her on edge, and now she felt he was too close, much too close, she didn’t want him here what was he even _doing here --_

“Shhh… you’re thinking too much,” Chat whispered. He cradled her head with both hands now, fingers moving gently against her scalp as he patiently waited for her to relax again.

“How could you tell?” Marinette’s voice was just a murmur. If he kept this up, she was sure she’d fall asleep standing. _Falling asleep standing, while getting pet by a man in a_ cat _suit…_  The thought made her snort a little to herself. She would have been worried about what Chat thought of her, laughing at nothing, except he had told her a while back that not only did he take it as a sign that she was comfortable, he also found it endearing.

“I just can,” Chat said with a shrug. He let his hands drop from her hair to rest on her shoulders and gave them a gentle squeeze before letting her go completely. “So. What’s bothering you?”

“Just a conversation I had this morning about a guy that I like” Marinette said. She tried to ignore the way Chat’s tail twitched behind him at that. “I keep saying that I’ll tell him, but I don’t think she believes that I will. And I guess I’ve realized that I don’t believe it either.”

“Hmm. And how long have you been planning this confession?” Chat asked, eyes sparkling with interest.

“Umm… three years?”

“ _Holy shit, Mari_.”

Marinette glared at him and threw her hands into the air. “You see?? You too! No one thinks I’ll do it!”

Chat’s jaw had dropped but he finally managed to pick his chin up off the floor as her tempered flared up. Obviously this was a sensitive subject, and he had personal experience with a years-long-unrequited-crush to guess how she must be feeling. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that,” he said, genuinely apologetic. “I’m sure you can do it, Mari.”

Marinette crossed her arms and stared at him, still not convinced.. “Oh yeah? You sure you’re not just saying that?”

“I promise,” Chat said. “ _I’ve_ been in love with someone for _years_ and I finally told them how I felt.”

Marinette’s hands dropped to her side, her face clearing. “Oh. I’m happy for you, Chat.”

He huffed a laugh and leaned back against the railing. “I never said she returned my feelings, Princess. But it’s okay!” he said quickly as he saw her frown return. “I’m just saying I know how hard it is to like someone for so long and then try to tell them how you actually feel. And you’re one of the strongest girls I know. If anyone can admit to a crush, _you_ can.”

“But it’s not just the crush!” Marinette turned to stare out at the city, her frown deepening. She gripped the railing, using it as an anchor as she finally let the words tumble out into the night. “It’s my birthday! I’m turning _eighteen_ next month and if I don’t tell him before my Switch, it’ll be too late! And even if I _do_ , what if he’s not my soulmate, Chat? What if he agrees to go out with me and he’s not the one, and he has someone else for a soulmate that he falls for? What if he _doesn’t_ want to go out with me, and then we turn out to be soulmates, but then it won’t matter because he must not like me like that at all and then--”

“ _Marinette_.”

His gloved hand rested on hers, his thumb gently brushing her skin as he tried to reel her back from the edge of panic. She looked from their hands to his face, and he gave her a smile. “You have a whole month to figure this out. It won’t turn out as bad as you think it will, I promise.”

Marinette’s lips twitched upwards. “Really?”

“Really. Want to know something that’ll help?”

She turned to face him, eyes lighting up and face eager. She never thought she’d hope to get relationship advice from _Chat_ of all people, yet here she was, ready to hear whatever wisdom he had for her.

“Yes! Tell me.”

“You sure?” he asked, lowering his voice so that she had to lean closer to hear.

“Definitely,” she whispered back.

“Alright. What really helps with situations like these…”

He cupped a hand around his mouth and brought his lips close to her ear. He paused there, letting her get ansty with anticipation and grinning at the way she shivered as his breath ghosted across her skin. Marinette didn’t think anything was amiss, hadn’t seen his friendly smile turn into a smug little grin, and then he whispered: “Actually getting some sleep!”

Marinette’ head snapped back and she glowered at him. He cocked his head, smiling down at her as he brought her fisted hand up to his lips to kiss her knuckles. “Goodnight then, Princess.”

“ _Goodnight, Chat Noir,_ ” she bit out, watching him flip over the railing and into the night, leaving a trail of laughter floating in his wake. How could she have forgotten how much of a prankster he was? She shook her head and walked toward the skylight anyway, knowing that his joke really did have a well-meaning point. When she finally settled into bed, she found that her worries from the day were fading at last. Marinette drifted off to sleep with a smile, still thinking of the green-eyed young man that visited her in the dead of night… and not minding it at all.

**Author's Note:**

> The ending of the chapter was basically me telling myself to get the fuck to sleep, could you tell? Hope you enjoyed it!


End file.
